I like saying yes to things. “Do you want to pack up our things, stop studying, and go to the beach in two minutes?” It might not have been the best choice with impending exams, but I said yes, and had absolutely no regrets.

“Do you want to eat our cinnamon buns from the Farmers’ Market at the top of this tree?” We got some funny looks, but the buns tasted even better from above.

“Should we jump in the harbour on our run and swim out to that buoy?” It was cold, there were terrifying crabs, and the weeds growing in the bottom tried to grab our feet, but we made it.

Running at 6:30 am? Buy Subway for lunch because there’s a deal on? Harry Potter marathon? Catch up over hot chocolate? Bake something for a church activity? Drive to the Catlins for a trip? Be my partner for an assignment? Go to a protest?

I know I’m fortunate to have the time, physical fitness and financial security to say yes to so many of the exciting opportunities I get as a student. I know I’m fortunate to have the people in my life who ask. Sometimes saying yes means taking on a lot — I certainly do not struggle with idleness and could often do with more stillness.

God is amongst all these joyous activities I get to do. God is part of my friendships, my studies, the wilderness I so enjoy exploring. Saying yes to these things is a way of accepting God’s goodness.

But in this world of beach trips and cinnamon buns, of incredible friends and hot chocolate, there is also grief, stress, ecological destruction and poverty. Acknowledging God’s presence in the anguish of my own life and the world is a lot harder. What is saying yes to God in these circumstances like?

I think it requires listening and stillness. Honestly, I personally often struggle to be still. But without the time for reflection, I often cannot recognise God as the source of my opportunities and joy. And without seeking God among the brokenness, it is too easy to become depressed and cynical.

Saying yes to God’s presence when life around me feels like a harsh unending desert is challenging. It calls for action. It can be choosing to visit a sick friend rather than another catch-up. It can be talking to friends at Church who are going through a rough patch, when it could be easier to chat with those sitting next to me. It can be giving money or time when it’s needed, even when I desperately don’t want to.

Sometimes it’s being grateful even when faced with difficult parts of my life or the lives of those around me. It’s seeking holiness when what I’m learning about our planet and human behaviour seems desperately destructive. When there is illness, hardship and poverty affecting precious lives with little relief evident.

Saying yes to God’s opportunities and presence in times of rain and drought, grief and joy, is a continuous choice. These opportunities and challenges nudge me to notice the joy and the mundanity of my life and to be concerned for life beyond my own — it’s all sacred. In saying yes to the easy invitations, I can build courage and community for the challenges of God’s kingdom — challenges like protesting ecological destruction and joining action for change.

Tui Motu Magazine. Issue 244 December 2019: 27